Chapter 2: Shadow and Siblings

  Dev was fused about everything that had happeo him. But soohered his thoughts. The hybrid Victorian-modern furniture cast long shadows across the room. It gave Dev a sense of relief.

  Sigh

  He gnced around. The memory of the mysterious girl—Anira—fshed in his mind.

  “Ani..” as Dev was just going to call the mysterious girl. A sudden, searing pain shot through his head, and he colpsed to the floor. His skull felt like it litting open as torrents of fn memories surged into his mind.

  "Ahhh... no..." he gasped, clutg his head. The torrent of alien thoughts and experieed only moments, but it felt like ay.

  When Dev finally opened his eyes, he was trembling, his breath ing in shasps. These weren't just random visions – they were memories. Memories belonging to this body's inal owner.

  I am Dev... no. My name is rad Valor.

  The realizatioled over him like a heavy cloak. rad Valor: a uy student with prades and a worse reputation. A young man whose father had succumbed to illness, whose mother had followed shortly after in an act, leaving behind three sisters...

  Dev felt as if he were living two lives simultaneously, his mind stretched between two sets of memories, two differeences. His usual tendency to deflect serious situations with humor abandoned him as the weight of his situation pressed down on his shoulders. His heart sank as the implications became clear – the inal owner of this body, rad Valor, was dead.

  The st memory... nothing but cold and encroag darkness. If whoever killed rad discovers I'm alive...

  His thoughts spiraled into panic before he forced himself to take a deep breath. Running wouldn't guarantee survival in this unfamiliar world. Besides, there was Anira to sider. She could offer prote, though trusting her pletely would be foolish.

  "When did I bee such a coward?" Dev muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I was strohan this in my world. But this..." He trailed off, knowing this situation was entirely different from anything he'd faced before.

  After several minutes of trolled breathing, Dev closed his eyes and deliberately sifted through his new memories. When he opehem agai out a bitter ugh. rad had been both a wimp and an asshole – there was no kinder way to put it. But something didn't add up: there was no trace of anything supernatural in rad's memories. No e to Anira or whatever strange power she wielded.

  Did I somehow alter his destiny by taking his pce?

  "Anira?" he called out, his voice steadier than he felt. "Are you here?"

  "Yes, my lord." The response came like a whisper of silk against stone.

  Dev turoward the void felt his breath catch. A woman was emerging from his own shadow, her movements as fluid as water. She wore a corset dress that seemed to be crafted from darkness itself, her gloved hands folded elegantly before her. Her presenatention – even the shadows of the room appeared to bow to her. Thick dark hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall of ink, and her eyes... her eyes were the deep crimson of aged wine, holdis older than time.

  Despite himself, Dev found his gaze drawn to her feminiures. The memories of both his former self and rad's less noble inations made him appreciate her ethereal beauty even more. She was tall for a woman, though still slightly shorter than him, with a presehat put stories of elven queens to shame.

  She really has a figure of every cultured man's dream. Huh

  "Anira," he said, f himself to focus, "expin what happened."

  "Great lord," she began, her voice carrying an otherworldly resonance, "after severing my e to that pce, it seems we have returo the world. The Oddity may have beeurned after we died and vanished. However..." She paused, something uain flickering across her perfect features.

  "However?"

  "I believe I am now bound to your shadow, able to ma only after midnight." Her admission carried a note of curiosity rather tha.

  "Your body, your powers – did you lose them because of me?" Dev felt a surge of guilt. He'd always lived by his own code of fairness, avoidis and dependencies whenever possible.

  "No, my lord," Anira responded quickly, a barely perceptible smile toug her lips. "Quite the opposite. I seem to have gained abilities I don't yet uand. I feel... more plete."

  Was that a pout I just saw? Surely not.

  "I see," Dev houghtfully. "I have many questions, but they wait. You look tired – please, feel free to refresh yourself."

  A practical occurred to him. " others see you?"

  "Most ot."

  "Good. My sisters are sleeping – please be quiet."

  "Yes, my lord." Anira gave him o, lingering look before slipping through the bathroom wall like it was made of mist.

  Walking through walls... that could be quite ve, Dev mused, before a gentle knoterrupted his thoughts.

  He approached the door cautiously, his newfound wariness making him hesitate before asking, "Who's there?"

  "? Are you awake?" The voice was warm, familiar –

  Isolde.

  Dev opehe door to find his eldest sister standing there, beautiful in her simple cotton nightgown with a shawl draped over her shoulders. She carried a small mp that cast a gentle glow across her features, highlighting her natural elegance like a nobel woman. But it was her presehat atention. Even in such modest attire, she carried herself with the dignity of someone who had shouldered burdens far beyond her years.

  "Big sister, what's wrong?" The words felt fn on his to because they were wrong, but because they carried the weight of years he hadn't lived, a retionship he hadn't earned.

  "I had a nightmare," she whispered, and something in her voice made Dev's heart strict. "Something terrible happeo you. The dream felt so real—like a premonition." Her hand clutched her shawl tighter. "When I passed your room, it was so quiet... I thought..." She couldn't finish the sentence.

  Dev felt rad's memories surge forward like a tide of guilt and shame. Each recolle was a ko the heart: Isolde w extra hours at the bank to pay his tuition; her quiet disappoi when she discovered the gamblis; the way she'd defended him at family dinners while their younger sisters spat venomous truths about his worthlessness. But through it all, her love had never wavered—a stant star in rad's sky of failures.

  Looking at her now, Dev saw not just a sister, but a guardian angel in human form. The mplight caught the premature strands of grey in her blonde hair—eae earhrough years of worry, eae a testament to sacrifices made for an undeserving brother. The weight of her unditional love made his borrowed heart ache with a pain that beloo both rad and himself.

  I've never seen suditional care in someone's eyes before. It wasn't meant for me, but...

  Isolde reached out, her cool hand toug his cheek. "You're cold, and so pale. Is everything alright, ? Are you having trouble with your studies? Don't let what your sisters say bother you – they're young, they don't uand..."

  "I'm just tired," Dev assured her softly. "Please rest. You have so much work tomorrow m..."

  "When did my little bee so siderate?" Isolde's smile held both pride and puzzlement. "I should be the one saying such things."

  She adjusted her shawl. "Drink some water a some sleep. You have csses tomorrow. Good night, ."

  "Good night," he responded, watg her retreating figure.

  I'm sorry, Isolde. I'm not really your brother, but until I find my way bay world, I'll try to be better than he was.

  After closing the door, Dev leaned against it, exhaling slowly. A date flickered through his mind – July 7th. He o figure out exactly what had happeo him, but this world seemed determio throw him into the deep end without any instruanual.

  Might as well try the basics...

  "Status window," he anded in what he hoped was an authoritative tone. Nothing happened. His cheeks flushed slightly as he tried again, "Status window... appear?"

  The silehat followed was deafening.

  Right. Of course it wouldn't be that easy.

  "My lord..." Anira's voice made him jump. She stood by the bathroom door, and from her expression, she'd witnessed his entire embarrassing attempt.

  "Anira... how long have you been there?"

  "Since your first attempt at summoning a status window, my lord."

  Dev felt his face burn, but he straightened his shoulders. "I was... testing a eique."

  Smooth, really smooth, he chided himself mentally.

  "Yes, my lord. I uand." Anira's bow seemed to hide the ghost of a smile.

  "I should sleep – I have csses tomorrow," Dev said, trying to ge the subject. "Will you be sleeping here?"

  "No, my lord. I shall stand guard until m."

  The image of a beautiful woman standing in the darkness while he slept should have been romantic, but somehow it just made him nervous. "That's... a bit uling. At least sit down. There's a fridge over there – help yourself to anything you want." He paused, then added, "Look, I'll be ho – this is all o me. I don't know who you are, but you tried to sacrifice yourself to save me. Don't act like a servant. From now on, for better or worse, you're my shadow, not my servant. Let's call it a partnership."

  At least until you discover I'm not who you think I am.

  Anira remained silent for a long moment before her crimson lips curved into a genuine smile. "Thank you, my lord."

  The words were the same as before, but somehow they carried a differe now – less formal, more sincere.